Adjustable arch support



June 9, 1931. s. s. BAER ADJUSTABLE ARCH SUPPORT Filed Dec 9' 1926 Patented June 9, 1931 UNITED STATES SAMUEL S. BAEB, F ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY- ADJUSTABLE ARCH SUPPORT Application filed December 9, 1926.

This invention relates to adjustable arch supports, or arch support shoes, and more particularly to a form of arch support which will conform to the suspended or arch portion 0 '5 of the instep of a foot with little interference or pressure on the other parts, and which T call a self-conforming arch support.

A principal object of this invention is to make an arch support that will conform to the arch and reproduce an exact impression of the foot that is necessary for the comfort of the wearer, to a fine degree of accuracy, without the necessity of first making plaster casts or undergoing the inconvenience of breaking in ready made arch supports.

Another object of this invention is to make an arch support that will be gradually con formed or reconformed at the will of the individual as his comfort may demand while 0 wearing the shoe and that will at all times securely and accurately support the arch.

Another object of this invention is to make a shoe with an arch support, that will in no mar the external appearance of the shoe.

i. g nother object of this invention is to provide an arch support in which the height adjusting means are so constructed and arranged to be freely accessible, and that any surplus of said means not used in sustaining the arch 130 in a supporting position will be automatically taken care of.

Another object of this invention is to make the padding of such arch supports free of ridges and underfoot surface unevenness.

A further object of this invention is to make a standard arch support fit comfortably many shoe sizes, and individuals with various instep proportions; .to be cheap and easy to manufacture, and require the use of very little or no metal; and that can be adopted to improve arch supports now in use and placed in shoes after production, but if built in shoes while in the process of manufacture will not I be objectionable to anyone who does not care to use the arch support. 7

Other objects and important features of this invention will be apparent from the following description, but, to be more readily understood attention is called to the manner adjusting Serial No. 153,567.

of making such arch supports and arch support shoes.

In the construction of the shoe, the shoe is made in the usual way, except that the arch pad preferably of sole leather skived in suitable proportion and softened or made plastic or pliable by water or other means, is placed upon the last. The pad being soft will form or mold itself to the' exact conformity of the last. (A pad previously molded to such form may also be used.) The innersole is then nailed on the last over the pad. On the heel portion between the pad and innersole, a heel plate (the usual heel plate that is placed on the heel of the last), is placed between the pad and innersole to keep the heel nails from reaching the pad and the shoe goes through the usual operations.

hen the shoe is finished and pulled off the last, the pad will be free from the shoe. Space however has been provided in the shoe by the use of the pad for its replacement, as will be further pointed out. Attention, however, may be called to the fact that the use 7 of the pad does not change the size, shape or construction of the shoe, except when so clesired the thickness of the pad at the heel portion is deducted from the thickness or height of the heel of the shoe.

The shoe being finished and free from thelast, a hole is made through the shank of the shoe-sole, after which, the adjusting device is placed in the shoe and the pad is replaced. The'shoe is then ready to be worn. No difference will be felt by the wearer, from the ordinary shoe, except when the adjusting device is operated for raising the arch-supporting plate and pad. By this operation of the device, the height of the plate and pad can be regulated to meet the requirements of different arches to be supported thereby.

Figure l is an elevation of a shoe partly in section, showing the arch-jack, conforming member and padding skived in gradually tapered proportions. The invention is disclosed showing the suspended or higher portion of the arch support under the instep of the foot (not shown) and in side elevation in relation to the shoe, also the padding represented by the dotted line sunk into the heel portion of the shoe.

Figure 2 is a view showing part of the shoe having its shank shown in section, and having my improved arch support shown mainly in rear elevation, only its reinforcing plate being in section.

Figure 3 is an enlarged side view partly in vertical section.

Figure 4: is a top plan view of the conforming or conformable arch-supporting plate.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the several views.

The shank of the sole has an opening through which extends the lower part of the bolt or tubular member 1. This member 1 is internally threaded, as shown at 2, and slotted at 3 for being rotated by a screwdriver. A screw or threaded stud 4 is operatively engaged with the internal threads 2, for raising and lowering the latter; the raising being accomplished by turning the member 1 counter-clockwise while the lower nut or shoulder 5 is supported and guided on the upper side of the shank, or on a plate 9 which may be provided as a seat for the shoulder 5. )Vhile the member 1 is shown with a head at its lower end, such head may be eliminated so that the device can be quickly and easily removed and replaced. without disassembling it. The upper end of the screw 4 is fixed or secured in a non-rotary relation to the conformable plate 6, as shown at 12; and this plate 6 has prongs or tongues 11 which penetrate the upper side of the shank for holding the plate in its different elected positions with respect to its axis which is the axis of the screw 4. These angular adjustments (around its axis) adapt the plate 6 for clifferent remedial uses under arches of different sizes, forms and conditions. Of c urs'e it is desirable to employ a cooperative and comfort-able pad on the plate 6 which v or, respectively.

is made of any suitable material, for in stance, annealed metal which gradually conforms to the shape of the arch while being gradually raised by the arch-j ack which comprises the screw-threaded members 1 and 4. The pad may be formed of parts 7 and 8, preferably of relatively hard and soft leath- It will be seen that the purpose of the removable lock nuts (5) and the threaded portion ALA on bolt (1) is to make the jack adaptable to different thicknesses of soles, but when built into the shoe other methods could be used to secure the bolt (1) so that it will turn in the sole.

The locked nuts 5 serve as an adjustable flange or shoulder, but my invention is not limited to a flange which is adjustable, for adjustment of this limiting and guiding shoulder is not needed where the bolts (of this kind) are designed for use in shanks of uniform thickness, the purpose of this plate shoulder being to prevent any lowering of the member 1, when once properly seated, and to guide the member 1 in its rotary adjustment or adjusting movements, so the actuating lower end remains substantially flush with the under side of the shank and can be quickly engaged by a screwdriver, coin or other actuating means without removing the shoe from the foot of the wearer.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. The combination of a shoe having a sole, a revoluble bolt passing through said sole and having a threaded aperture extending longitudinally a considerable distance inside thereof, an adjusting screw threaded at one end in said aperture, the other end of the screw providing a supporting top, and a member conforming to the arched instep of a foot and supported on the supporting top of the screw, whereby the bolt can receive rotary movement from the outside of the shoe sole and effect an upward or downward movement of a part of said member.

2. An arch-support comprising a vertically adjustable supporting member revolubly positioned at the shank portion of a shoe, and a conformable plate thereon of approximately equal length and width, each of these dimensions being less than the width of the aforesaid shank portion, so that the plate may be selectively placed in various positions with respect to the adjusting member in order to support various parts of the longitudinal or metatarsal arches.

3. In an arch support, the combination of a plate having one edge portion provided with means to secure it to the upper side of a shoe-sole and having its other edge portions free from sole-engaging means, a screwthreaded member united with the intermediate part of-the plate and extending down therefrom, and a second screw-threaded member having its threads engaged with the threads of the first said screw-threaded member and adapted to be seated and r0- tated on the said upper side of the sole for efiecting upward and downward adjustments of the intermediate and free edge portions of the plate.

4. In an archsupport, the combination of a plate having one edge portion provided with means to penetrate the upper side of a shoe-sole for securing it to the latter, a screw-threaded member united with said and extending down therefrom, and, a screw-threaded device having its threads engaged with the threads of said screw-threaded member and rotatable for relative adjustments upward and downward, said screwthreaded device having a lower actuating part which is relatively narrow and adapted to extend through an opening in the shoesole, and said screw-threaded device having a relatively wide part adapted to be seated and rotated on said upper side of the shoesole, substantially as shown and described.

5. An arch support including an arch supporting plate, a rotary device having a screwthreaded upper end, a relatively wide part adapted to be seated and rotated on the upper side of a shoe-sole, and a relatively narrow part adapted to extend through an opening in the shoe-sole and provided with means for rotating the device, in combination with a screw-threaded element having its lower end engaged with the screw threads of said rotary device and provided with means to secure its upper end in non-rotary relation to the under side of said plate.

6. An arch-support including an archsupporting plate, a tubular rotary member threaded internally and adapted to extend through an opening in a shoe-sole and provided with means at its lower end for rotating it, its upper part being relatively wide and adapted to be seated on said upper side of the shoe-sole while being rotated, in combination with an externally threaded element having its lower part engaged with the threads within said tubular element and provided with means to secure its upper end in non-rotary relation to said plate.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

SAMUEL S. BAER. 

